Adjustable support structures for machine tools

ABSTRACT

A support structure for a grinding wheel on a grinding machine, comprising a base having part-spherical seating, a housing having a complementary part-spherical portion permitting relative adjustment between the base and housing, the housing carrying a grinding wheel or other device, releasable locking elements whereby the housing can be locked relatively to the base in any selected position, and control elements for adjusting in two mutually perpendicular vertical planes.

United States Patent 91 Mason 51 Jan.23, 1973 ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT STRUCTURES FOR MACHINE TOOLS [75] Inventor: Peter Alan Mason, Kenilworth, En-

gland [73] Assignee: Wickman Machine Tool Sales Limited, Coventry, England [22] Filed: Aug. 21, 1970 [211 Appl. No.: 66,047

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 22, 1969 Great Britain ..4l,906/69 [52] U.S.Cl ..5l/l66 M11 [51] Int. Cl. ..B24b 41/04 [58] Field of Search .....51/l66 TS, 166 PB, 166 MH, 51/218 A, 240 A, 227; 279/5, 16

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,333,874 11/1943 Mays ..5l/240 A 1,981,253 11/1934 Schulz ..51/240 A 2,447,711 3/1948 Mikis ..279/l6 1,400,971 12/1921 Nye ..51/166 FB 1,220,287 3/1917 Styll et a1 ..5l/240 A 1,752,961 4/1930 Oliver 51/166 MH 1,958,734 5/1934 W0odsmall.... 1/166 FB 2,521,230 9/1950 Larson ..5l/220 Primary ExaminerDonald G. Kelly Attorney-l-lolman & Stern [57] ABSTRACT A support structure for a grinding wheel on a grinding machine, comprising a base having part-spherical seating, a housing having a complementary part-spherical portion permitting relative adjustment between the base and housing, the housing carrying a grinding wheel or other device, releasable locking elements whereby the housing can be locked relatively to the base in any selected position, and control elements for adjusting in two mutually perpendicular vertical planes.

7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures SHEET 1 OF 3 PATENTEDJAH 23 1915 ATTORNEYS PAIENTEDJAN23 I975 3.711.998

sum 2 OF 3 NVENTOR ATTORNEYS PATENTEDJAHZS I975 3.711 998 SHEET 3 UF 3 I INVENTOR '4 ATTORNEYS ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT STRUCTURES FOR MACHINE TOOLS This invention relates to adjustable support structures suitable for supporting a grinding wheel on a grinding machine, or other analogous function. For example, in a grinding machine, adjustment, can take place in two mutually transverse horizontal directions; angularly in two vertical planes which are mutually transverse with-respect to one another; and also rotation in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis.

In known support structures of this kind, there are two arcuate slides arranged to move about mutually transverse horizontal axes, to achieve the angular movements respectively. Releasable locking means for these arcuate slides are provided and in order to effect an adjustment, one or both of these must be released. After the required adjustment has been carried out, they must be locked. This operation can give rise to inaccuracy because the weight of the part of the structure which has been adjusted, tends to cause movement at the slides during locking so that, when fully locked, the slides occupy incorrect positions.

The object of this invention is to provide a support structure wherein the number of joint faces compared with known constructions are reduced to provide increased rigidity of the complete structure and in which the required adjustment can be carried out in a convenient manner and in which the risk of inaccurate adjustment is minimized.

According to the present invention, a support structure of the kind specified comprises a base, a partspherical seating on the base, a complementary partspherical portion on a housing adjustably mounted with respect to the seating, releasable locking means for locking the housing relatively to the seating, respective control means for adjusting the housing relatively to the seating in two vertical mutually transverse planes, and support means on the housing for supporting a grinding wheel or other device thereon.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a grinding machine incorporating the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side elevation view of the support structure which forms the subject of this invention,

FIG. 3 is a plan view in cross-section,

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view at right angles to FIG. 2, and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing an alternative locking and indicating means on the support structure.

With reference to FIG. 1 the machine comprises a base on which is mounted a support structure for a workpiece and including a pair of horizontal mutually perpendicularly movable slides 11 and 12 mounted upon an adjustable base 13. The workpiece support adjustment is achieved through a hand wheel 14. There is also mounted upon the base a support structure for a grinding wheel 16 which includes a vertically reciprocable slide 17 carried by a housing 18 which in turn is mounted upon a base 19 carried by two mutually perpendicularly adjustable horizontal slides 21, and 22. Hand wheels 25 and 26 mounted upon a support 24 on the base controls the slides 21 and 22 respectively.

The machine includes also an optical mechanism whereby the operator can view the work, such optical mechanism including an eye piece 27 mounted upon a hollow extension 28 through which, not only the workpiece and grinding wheel, but also an enlarged layout, mounted in a housing 29, can be viewed.

The support structure for the grinding wheel is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2 to 5. With reference to these Figures, the support structure comprises the housing 18 through which extends a vertical stationary shaft 31 secured to the upper slide of the two horizontal slides 21 and 22.

The base 19 has a concave part-spherical upper surface 33 on which rests a complementarily convex partspherical surface 34 of the housing 18. The surface 34 is formed on a part 35 which is permanently secured by bolts 36 to the underneath of the housing 18.

The housing 18 is hollow and has a large opening at its upper end through which the shaft 31 passes, the opening being surrounded by a convex part-spherical member 37. The part-spherical surface 38 of the member 37 is concentric with, but of different radius with respect to the surfaces 33 and 34.

Engaged over the member 37 is a clamping ring 39 having a complementarily part-spherical seating portion 41 to engage the surface 38. The ring 39 is keyed to the shaft 31 by a key 42. Engaging with the screwthreaded extremity of the shaft 31 is a clamping nut 43 which serves to clamp the ring 39 onto the member 37 thus locking the housing 18 in relation tothe seatings 33 and 41 The nut 43 can be released by a control arm (not illustrated) or by any other means which preferably does not exert any side load upon the shaft 31 during tightening thus minimizing any inaccuracy in the setting of the housing in relation to its seating.

The member 37 and the ring 39 are provided with respective markings on their adjacent faces whereby the angular setting of the housing in relation to the shaft axis can be determined. The ring 39 has two markings at to one another, and the member 37 has a plurality of graduations which are co-operable with the markings on the ring 39 which indicate angular movements in degree increments. Since surface 38 is part-spherical the graduations are parts of equatorial circles of the sphere of which surface 38 is a part.

In order to move the housing 18 about the axis of the spherical seatings 33 and 41 it is necessary to release the nut, whereupon the housing will be capable of angular movement about the vertical axis of the shaft 31 and also angularly about two horizontal axes which pass through the axis of the spherical seatings, such horizontal axes being mutually perpendicular.

To effect such angular movement about the horizontal axes referred to there are provided two manual controls 44 and 45 which extend out of the housing 18 at right angles to one another as shown in FIG. 1

The manual control 44 is a combined handwheel and nut assembly which engages a screw 46 and which runs in a bush 47 in the housing 18. Screw 46 is connected at its inner end through a link 48 to a part 49 which is slidably mounted in a sub-frame 51 forming part of the housing 18.

A similar combined handwheel and nut assembly 45 engages screw 54 and runs in bracket 53 which is an extension of part 49. Screw 54 is connected through link 55 to a collar 52 surrounding the shaft 31, the part 49 can thus also slide with respect to parallel faces 52a formed at opposite sides of the collar 52.

It will be seen that by adjustment of the screws 46 and 54 in the respective handwheel and nut assemblies 44 and 45, the housing 18 can be moved angularly about the horizontal axes described.

The manual control 44 is intended to move the housing 18 sideways with respect to the front of the machine at which the controls 14, 25, and 26 are provided, and the manual control 45 is arranged to move it forward and backward.

In this machine, however, it is only necessary to accommodate angular adjustment on one side of the vertical by means of the manual control 44.

In order to move the housing 18 angularly about the axis of the shaft 31, there is a gear wheel 57 secured by bolts 58 to the collar 52, this gear wheel being concentric with a shaft 31 and rotatable thereon.

The gear wheel 57 is engaged by a worm 59 driven by a manual control (not illustrated) which extends out of the base 19.

To accommodate the relative angular movement between the collar 52 and the part 49 during adjustment by means of the manual controls 44 and 45, the collar carries a pair of dowels 61 engaging in seatings in the part 49.

In the alternative arrangement shown in FIG. 5 the vertical shaft 31 is enclosed in a fixed sleeve 62. The upper end of the sleeve 62 is keyed to a ring 63 which is the equivalent of the ring 39 in the FIG. 1 construction. The key is identified at 64.

Engaging over the ring 63 is a further part 65 which in turn is locked by a nut (not shown) on the screwthreaded upper extremity of the shaft 31 to which it is keyed.

The part 65 and the ring 63 carry respective adjacent 1 graduation marks and indicate the angular setting of dicates the setting about the two mutually perpendicular horizontal axes referred to.

With both forms of clamp illustrated the clamping force is exerted over the whole of the part-spherical seating areas and since the axis about which clamping takes place coincides with the axis of'the spherical seating, any tendency for the part so move during clamping is minimized.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A support structure for supporting a grinding wheel on a grinding machine, comprising a base, a partspherical seating on the base having an axis, a complementary coaxial part-spherical portion on a housing adjustably mounted with respect to the seating, releasable locking screw means passing through the axis of the part-spherical seating and complementary portion, said locking screw means being arranged releasably to lock the housing relatively to the seating, two control means for adjusting the housing relatively to the seating in two vertical mutually transverse planes respectively and support means on the housing for supporting a grinding wheel thereon.

2. A support structure as claimed in claim 1 in which the base includes two mutually perpendicularly adjustable horizontal slides operably connected to two/control means respectively.

3. A support structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said support means comprises a slide on the housing adapted to carry a grinding wheel.

4. A support structure as claimed in claim 1, in which the locking screw means comprises a vertical shaft carrying, at its upper end, a part having a further part spherical portion engaging a complementary partspherical seating on the housing, the two pairs of complementary surfaces being concentric.

5. A support structure as claimed in claim 1 in which the two control means for adjusting the housing comprise respective mutually slidable screw and nut mechanisms.

6. A support structure as claimed in claim 1 including a further control means whereby the housing can be angularly adjusted about the axis of the locking screw means.

7. A support structure as claimed in claim 4 in which the part carried -by the shaft is formed in two sections, one being secured to the shaft and the other being rotatable relatively thereto and being non-rotatably engaged with the housing. 

1. A support structure for supporting a grinding wheel on a grinding machine, comprising a base, a part-spherical seating on the base having an axis, a complementary coaxial part-spherical portion on a housing adjustably mounted with respect to the seating, releasable locking screw means passing through the axis of the part-spherical seating and complementary portion, said locking screw means being arranged releasably to lock the housing relatively to the seating, two control means for adjusting the housing relatively to the seating in two vertical mutually transverse planes respectively and support means on the housing for supporting a grinding wheel thereon.
 2. A support structure as claimed in claim 1 in which the base includes two mutually perpendicularly adjustable horizontal slides operably connected to two/control means respectively.
 3. A support structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said support means comprises a slide on the housing adapted to carry a grinding wheel.
 4. A support structure as claimed in claim 1, in which the locking screw means comprises a vertical shaft carrying, at its upper end, a part having a further part spherical portion engaging a complementary part-spherical seating on the housing, the two pairs of complementary surfaces being concentric.
 5. A support structure as claimed in claim 1 in which the two control means for adjusting the housing comprise respective mutually slidable screw and nut mechanisms.
 6. A support structure as claimed in claim 1 including a further control means whereby the housing can be angularly adjusted about the axis of the locking screw means.
 7. A support structure as claimed in claim 4 in which the part carried by the shaft is formed in two sections, one being secured to the shaft and the other being rotatable relatively thereto and being non-rotatably engaged with the housing. 